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Order of Priests
The Order of Priests tend to the Church herself, shepherds of the flock who ensure that God's chosen people do not fall prey to the vices of the world, nor to the wolves who lurk just outside the Shepard's gate. The Priest's powers revolve around the faith itself: they have the power to re-cause the famous miracles of scripture or to summon the ancient heroes of the faith for momentary assistance. They can also draw power from the faith of others, fueling their own efforts with the beliefs of those who follow them. Aspect of God: Founder of the Tribe Priest Degrees Facts: -Priests know God as the Founder of the Tribe, their essence is derived from a particular Tribe, it's history, tradition and theology. -The Order of Priests is most closely associated with the Title of Chaplain. If someone in the Squad is a Priest, chances are they will be elected Chaplain sooner or later. -Priests are said to use incense made from exotic ingredients, with recipes only they know, which cause other Adepts to often times enter a trance and catch visions of the far future or past. -The Priests pretty much have a presence among the leadership of all the major Tribes. Certainly all the organized ones at least. Rectors, ministers, rabbis, imams, whatever title they have, there's more than a few Priests who share that title with them. -Priests have a tendency to keep stores of Holy Relics among themselves. Priest Chantries are often full of religious artifacts. -Priest Order has close ties with the Witan. The Witan frequently employs Priests as consultants and aids when investigating paranormal occurrences of a religious nature. -Historically, the Order of Priests has been one of the largest, certainly one of the most influential of the Ruling Orders. However, for the past few centuries their power has slowly waned. -A Priest is born from a Tribe, it is in his nature to preserve that faith community. The benefit of such a mentality is that Priests tend to be disciplined or at least more orderly than most people (and more connected as well). The down side is that to preserve usually translates as rejecting anything new or innovative, since change is the ideological opposite of preservation. -When Rome collapsed and the Dark Ages began, it was the Order of Priests who really stepped up to the plate. The Western Church, centered in Rome, was the only viable system left in place for society and that is why the medieval period is marked by such a dependence on the church system, it was one of the few remaining forces or order left in a world flooded with chaos. -Within a Squad, Priests Adepts tend to be the glue that holds everyone together, playing both advocate and confidant to many. -The Order of Priests is the premiere member of the Ecclesiastical Orders and the others often look to them for decisions on important topics. -Shepard Kings are strong supporters of the concept of the priesthood of all believers. -Because of their origins, Priest Adepts gain Church Lore more quickly and more easily than other Adepts. Veneration of Saints: Priests are a Petitioner Order and can call out to the souls of former men and women of faith. Dubbed Saints by mainstream Monotheism, the Priests can gain new powers and favors by associating with particular Saints. Veneration of Saints is looked down upon by other Adepts, even other Christian Adepts. Many see it as a form of idolatry. However the Priests respond that they do not worship but simply venerate the Saints the way someone could show respect to a living soul for their accomplishments in life. Saints are not made equal to God, only seen as brothers and sisters in the faith who have crossed over to the other side. *Gaining new powers will require repeated acts of devotion, prayer and meditation on the life and works of a particular Saint. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Ranks: Every Priest instinctively understands that there is a hierarchy among the Order, although the exact names of titles changes with the passing of time. The ranks serve a purpose, when collaborating with each other, it is important for one Priest to have the most seniority so that a final decision can be made. The largest gatherings of Priests is called a Sanhedrin. -Deacon -Pastor -Cleric -Reverend -Bishop -Archbishop -Cardinal -Metropolitan -"Pontifex Maximus" = Legend has it that the Order of Priests has a single head, a single Priest Adept who is the only member whose rank falls above the Metropolitans. He holds the rank of 'Pontifex Maximus.' The Order denies having such a rank, but rumors persist. Some outsiders believe that one or more individuals within the Order actually claim the title for themselves, but not all of the Priests accept it, leaving the Priest Oder in a secretly divided state organizationally. Factions: -Nicolatians = The Nicolatians are a minor Faction of Priests who still follow the tradition of the early church, they do not take money for their preaching, nor do they support paid or salaried ministry positions. The purity of the preaching is marred by mammon, at least that's how they see it. Recently they have accepted bi-vocational ministry as acceptable. -Order of Melchizedek = This is the old-guard Faction, the oldest members of the Order belong to it. The Order of Melchizedek seeks to maintain the Great Secret and to see to it that the beliefs of mankind do not stray into the dark side. It is wrong to think that the Order of Melchizedek is behind the institutional church(es) throughout history, they are the institutional church(es) throughout history. The Order is behind every complex ecclesiarchy that identifies which dogmas to believe, and they are quite dedicated at it to boot. -Shepard Kings = Founded during the Protestant Reformation and from similar, earlier upheavals in the Order, the Shepard Kings balk at the notion that the Priests must keep the Great Secret to themselves. The Shepard Kings believe that the Order exists to guide people into the right belief, and not lord the priestly powers over them as ecclesiastical rulers. Affiliates: -Roman Catholic Church -The Jesuits -Opus Dei References: -https://www.pinterest.com/benjaminstyles7/order-of-priests/ -http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Supernatural_Priest_Training -https://bible.org/seriespage/priests -http://www.openbible.info/topics/priest -http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12406a.htm -http://www.eldritchpress.or